Immunostimulating activity of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 8 oligosaccharides

Abstract

The invention provides compositions comprising an oligosaccharide of S. pneumoniae serotype 8 useful for stimulating an immune response to an antigen, methods of providing protective immunization against a bacterial pathogen using these compositions, methods of augmenting an immunogenic response to an antigen by administering these S. pneumoniae serotype 8 oligosaccharide compositions along with the antigen, and methods of making the immunostimulatory compositions described above.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composition useful for stimulating an inmune response to an antigen, said immunostimulatory composition consisting essentially of: a) an antigen, which antigen is not an oligosaccharide of S. pneumoniae serotype 8 and which antigen is not attached to an oligosaccharide of S. pneumoniae serotype 8;   b) an oligosaccharide of S. pneumoniae serotype 8 which contains an immunogenic epitope; and   c) a suitable pharmaceutical excipient, wherein said oligosaccharide of S. pneumoniae serotype 8 stimulates or enhances an immune response to the antigen when said composition is administered to an animal.   
     
     
       2. The composition of claim 1 which is suitable for administration via a route selected from the group consisting of oral and parenteral. 
     
     
       3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the antigen is selected from the group consisting of non-immunogenic and weakly immunogenic carbohydrates.